


When Faith Falls

by fieryluna92



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League (2017), Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:05:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8978983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryluna92/pseuds/fieryluna92
Summary: Young Lex Luthor lost his parents. Bruce Wayne steps in and invites him to stay at Wayne Manor.An exploration of the relationship between Lex and Bruce through the years.





	1. Chapter 1

Lex opened his eyes. The first light of the morning filtering through the curtains. A cool breeze entering the room through a slightly opened window. And how big the windows were in the Wayne Manor. The fresh air of the first days of autumn tangled his hair, and he felt chills going through his body. He should get up and close the window, but he just could’t find the strength - or the will - to do that.

It had been a month since he was living there. The other children who Mr. Wayne brought to live there were orphans - sons and daughters of criminals, or sons and daughters of people killed by criminals. (It seemed like most people in Gotham were connected to crime.) But Lex wasn’t an orphan. Not entirely. His mother was dead. His father was in prison. He was alone, and Bruce Wayne took him in to be one of his proteges.

He was one of the oldest kids there. The older ones would often run away. To be criminals most likely, Lex thought. It was the Gotham in them. The ones who stayed would eventually leave to college and make a living elsewhere. Lex had no intention of running away or going anywhere. He would rather stay in bed until the world would fade away.

At ten years old, Lex was the sole heir to the Luthor empire - LexCorp Industries. Mr. Wayne had promised to teach him and to help with everything he needed to know to be in front of a multimillionaire company - and Mr. Wayne knew everything about that. His parents died when he was twelve. Alfred Pennyworth, his manservant, taught him everything, and Bruce Wayne became head of Wayne Enterprises when he turned eighteen. And now he was gonna teach Lex. And now the circle would be complete. And in the future Lex could be the tutor to someone else. And so on… And so on…

He dismissed that thought. He didn’t want to learn anything. He didn’t want to lead a massive company. He didn’t want anything, really.

“You’re the only one left, Jr.. Don’t ruin it.” Lex shook his head to disperse the last words his father said to him, before the guards took him in. He could do nothing. It was already ruined.

In all the thirty days since he was in that house, he only left his room for meals. He barely knew the other kids, only that they were loud and were always running around. Now that school had started, the house was quiet during the day. Lex would have to return to school in a couple of days. “You can rest for a while, and when you feel ready, you can come back.” Those were his school counselor’s words to him. She gave him a deadline, and the time was up.

He wasn’t ready.

-

After Alfred served him breakfast that day and Lex was about to go upstairs, one hand fell on his shoulder. He turned. The manservant was standing above him with a stern look on his face. Lex felt - since day one - that Alfred didn’t trust him, like he knew something was off about him.

“Master Lex, your new school books are in the library. I hope you have finished all the homework your classmates have sent you.”

Lex thought of all the papers and notebooks huddled on his desk. He didn’t even read them. He didn’t even look at them.

“I’m working on them right now, Alfred. Thank you.” Lex turned his back immediately to him so he didn’t have to look at his face. He knew he didn’t believe him. Lex was too familiar with what would happen if he was being a nuisance. He felt the rage of this father too many times.

Lex went to the library to get some books. It wasn’t as rich as his own, back at the Luthor mansion in Metropolis. Here, the books were all old and dusty. It didn’t seem like Mr. Wayne had acquired any new books in the last few years.

A movement caught his eye. He looked outside the window. A dark figure was wandering outside, in the dried up fields that surrounded the Wayne Manor in this time of year. A more attentive look showed him it was Bruce Wayne. He was wearing an expensive-looking coat that fit him like it was made just for him. It probably was. Alexander Luthor would approve. Lex didn’t care. He didn’t want to wear a suit and tie. But it was expected of him, he had no doubt.

It had been a month since he had been outside. Curiosity hit him and Lex decided to follow Mr. Wayne, so he jumped out of the floor-leveled window. The fresh hair brushed his pale skin. The sunlight burnt his eyes at first, until the landscape took shape in front of him. Fields without end, trees here and there, until the forest turned dense.

Bruce Wayne’s brown hair, usually combed to perfection, was swaying in the wind. His eyes, that had received him in his house with nothing but kindness, were focused on a point ahead, that Lex couldn’t quite grasp yet. It wasn’t until he was closer that Lex spotted the flowers on his hand. Roses, orchids, daisies. All colorful, all shiny in the sun.

Mr. Wayne was headed to a small cottage. No… Not a cottage… It was a crypt, a burial chamber. Lex stopped on his heels. Suddenly the air seemed hard to breath… Or his lungs weren’t cooperating… He felt his knees hit the ground. He was being silly. It was just a tomb. His mother didn’t have a tomb. Her ashes laid somewhere at his mansion, he didn’t even cast a glance at them before he left…

He must have blacked out for a while, because when his eyes regained sight, Bruce Wayne was standing over him, a concerned and confused look on his face. He must have heard him fall. Lex scrambled to his feet, Mr. Wayne put a hand on his shoulder to help him from falling again.

“Lex, what are you doing here? Are you feeling okay?” His tone was sympathetic, but Lex could hear the concealed vexation on his voice.

Lex felt a wave of panic rising on his chest. He nodded and started running to the Manor without looking back. When he was halfway there he could still hear Mr. Wayne calling his name.

 

*

*

*

 

Bruce was sitting at the hearing of Alexander Luthor. The man presided at one of the main partners of Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp Industries. He would be in prison for the rest of his life for the murder of his wife. Bruce still couldn’t grasp that idea. His father loved his mother, and his mother loved his father. They would never do that to each other.

He was twelve when they died. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t remember… But how he wished he could forget. His days were grey, and with every sun that rose, there was a mask he had to put on. A pain that would never leave him.

He glanced at Lex, Luthor’s son. His long red hair covered half of his face, but Bruce could still see his piercing blue eyes fixated in a point in front of him. He didn’t look at his father when he made his statement, or when his sentence was read. It was only when the cops took him and he howled at is son “You’re the only one left, Jr. Don’t ruin it.” - that he lifted his gaze towards him, like the world just fell down on him. The kid had lost his family, just like Bruce. Lex was alone. And Bruce stepped in. After all, who would be better than one heir to teach another heir to lead a multimillionaire company, to keep a legacy alive, to put on a mask everyday…

-

One night, Bruce was walking to his room, when he heard him. Lex was crying. He knocked on his door. The kid didn’t answer, but he entered anyway. The kid was curled up in bed, grasping the sheets with his hands, his hair sticking to his tear damped face. His sobs were echoing in the corridor, so he closed the door behind and started walking towards him.

“Lex… What happened?” The moment he said those words, he regretted them. “Lex…” He sat on the bed next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. The kid stood up, trembling away from him, a scared look on his eyes, and tears still rolling down his cheeks.

“Lex… It’s just me. You don’t have to be afraid.” But he was afraid. The kid hadn’t said a word in his father’s trial. Whatever happened, had been happening for a while, probably even before he was born. And he witnessed it, even though he didn’t ever say a word, which could only mean his mother wasn’t the only victim. And he was still afraid. And looking at him there, in front of him, Bruce wished he could do something about it, but he was also afraid. Since the day his parents died, a lurking feeling of uneasiness, of powerlessness had consumed him. And all he did was go to school until he was old enough to take the lead at Wayne Enterprises, his parents legacy, that he had to keep alive for the sake of his city. But he was just a kid too, after all. And fear was a constant in his life.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Wayne. It was just a nightmare.” Lex looked away at the walls of his room. Bruce managed a smile. Nightmares weren’t strange to him.

“It will pass.” A lie. “Come here.” Bruce didn’t know what else to say. He pushed the kid to him and hugged him. He clung to his shirt with his wrists closed, sobbing against his chest. Bruce stroked his back until he calmed down. “Now get some sleep.” Lex pulled away from him, his eyes piercing him, as if some kind of understanding had dawn on him.

Without another word, Lex laid back in bed, Bruce covered him with his blanket, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

-

Eight years. It had been eight years to this day since his parents were murdered. And every single year, he would go to the city to buy some flowers. It was the least he could do. And after walking down to the crypt, putting the flowers in the vases next to the graves of his mother and father, he would go to whatever meetings he had that day, and never think back.

On his way to the crypt, a noise in the grass caught is attention. Something falling. No. Someone.

Lex Luthor was kneeling on the ground, his eyes unseeing, unmoving. He must have been following him. Bruce couldn’t help but feel exasperated with the kid. Not on this day…

He walked his way. The kid stood up when he reached him. Bruce put a hand on his shoulder to help him keep balance. “Lex, what are you doing here? Are you feeling okay?” He didn’t answer, he raised his eyes to him, nodded and started running towards the house before he could say anything else. “Lex, come back. Lex.” Bruce called and called but the kid just kept on running.

Maybe his tone was a little too brusque. He looked back ate the crypt where he was headed. The kid must have freaked out. Bruce couldn’t blame him. He tightened his grip on the flowers and resumed his way.

The graves were the same way he remembered. The white marble, touched by time, was turning grey and green, but the names of his parents were still gleaming in silver. Bruce took the old and dried flowers out of the vases and replaced them carefully with the fresh ones. For a second, he touched his mother’s name carved in the stone. Martha. How he loved her and how he missed her. He retrieved his hand like an electric current passed through him. His sorrow was unfathomable. The tears started pouring from his eyes without permission. He would never recover. How could he?

He started walking to the house. All he wanted was to give his parents some peace. One day their murderer was gonna be caught. And he was gonna be there to make sure he would pay for what he did to his family. But Gotham's legal system failed him all this years. He had no hope for any real justice. He would have to do it himself.

One way or another justice was going to be made.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language. ;)

Lex had been going from Gotham to Metropolis and back again almost everyday for the last two years. He continued to go to his old school. It’s what his father wanted, so he did it. When he visited him in prison, Alexander Luthor would ask how school was going and Lex would ramble about whatever he was learning that week. When he stood up to leave, his father would pat him on the back and say “Don’t let your mother down, Jr.. You have to make her proud.” He would always say those words to him, but Lex knew he didn’t mean his _mother_.

Life at the Wayne Manor was steady. He got up in the morning, ate breakfast with the other kids, and went to school. At first, Alfred would drive him there, until he learned to take the train. He always preferred to go alone. Sometimes, after school, he would go to Gotham. He wasn’t scared anymore, and now he knew the city as well as he knew Metropolis. When he returned home, he would study in the library with the other kids. He would often help them, especially the little ones. They liked him, or the candy he usually brought them from the city. And then they wouldn’t bother him anymore.

He really hadn’t made any friends there. The ones closer to his age would avoid him. At first, they used to sneer at him - for his money, for his manners, for his hair… One boy named Clint tried to cut it in his sleep. He woke in time to grab the kid’s hand holding the scissors above his head. But he always kept silent about that matter. (As always, really. All his life he had to keep his mouth shut.) But it did not go unnoticed. One day, Mr. Wayne called Clint and his gang to the library, and after that the teasing stopped. It was probably Alfred who warned him. He always seemed to know everything.

But in no way it meant Mr. Wayne and Alfred liked him or trusted him. No. He could see in the way they looked at him they thought he was a nuisance, a burden, a handful. It was true, Lex recognized that.

-

Over the last two years Lex developed a love for the sciences. He made his room into a laboratory. He would buy the materials he needed in the city, and with the help of a little girl called Casey, he would do any kind of experiment. At first he would replicate the simple ones they did at school. But it wasn’t enough. He started reading whatever books he could find in the Wayne collection. The old ones were the most fascinating. Biology. Medicine. Chemistry. Physics. Geology. Astronomy.

His father’s company relied upon technology. He would have to step up his game. The man who was in charge now was “competent” (as his father told him), but not a visionary. That was Lex’s job. When he reached the age of eighteen he would have to enter LexCorp Industries with a set of revolutionary ideas, or his legacy would die.

However, experiments meant accidents - and there were a few of note - a few that would put him into trouble. A hole in a wall. Rats running around the Manor. One kid bitten. Someone’s eyebrows burning off. Some skin burns. A small fire. Bunnies getting sick. The kids started to fear him.

Alfred - of course - had warned Mr. Wayne, who almost never was home. Between trips to other countries, business meetings and long nights in his office in the city, Bruce Wayne had no time for the orphans living in his house.

One night, Bruce Wayne knocked on his door and entered before he could answer.

After the “crypt incident”, Mr. Wayne talked to him. Words about overcoming grief, resilience. Empty words, Lex thought. Bruce Wayne’s sad, melancholic eyes betrayed him.

But now his eyes were enraged. He looked around, the exasperation in his eyes dissipating for a bit - he kind of looked impressed… Until his eyes rested on Lex.

“Lex, what is going on here?” His words barely concealed his anger.

He was going to speak again, but Lex intervened. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wayne. I’m afraid I transformed your room into a lab. See…” He gestured around him and gave him a sideways smile. “I just thought it was time I started working on something valuable for my future.”

“I can see why that’s important, Lex.” Mr. Wayne sat on a chair next to him. His eyes had gone softer. (Lex had a way with people, he could change their minds as he wished. After all, he was just a little lonely kid.) “But you can’t do that this way. You’re putting in danger your friends… And the animals… You can’t use them in your experiments. You have to stop. It’s not right.”

“Okay…” Lex looked at his shoes. “I’ll get rid of everything.”

“You don’t have to. Just free the animals, and be more aware of safety. Your safety.” Yes, no one wanted the young prodigy to be harmed. Even Bruce Wayne could have something to benefit from him.

And so he did it. He got rid of all the rabbits, bats and mouses he had in little cages. Even the insects. He freed them on to the fields. Mr. Wayne bought him a new microscope to replace his hand-me-down old one he got at an antique store. He stopped asking the kids at the Manor for help. When he had anything he wanted to test, he would go to the city with Casey, and asked the homeless kids there. They always needed the money.

-

In addition for his interest in science, Lex had started reading on history and religion. His mother - Lillian - was a religious woman. She always told him “God is our salvation, Lex. Pray and He will listen. Be good and He will answer.” But He - whoever He was - never answered. (He probably didn’t even listen.)

What he concluded from his readings was that God was inconstant. And with that he couldn’t really save anyone. He sure didn’t save his mother. He sure didn’t save him. (And if there was a God, he had been absent from Gotham for a long time.)

A creature… A being… An entity… That held together power and goodness… Seemed unlikely. Lex had never seen those two things working together.

All he could hope for was to stand at the side that would allow him to achieve his purposes.

-

Rachel Dawes, future lawyer of some sort (Lex didn’t really care), was Bruce Wayne’s best friend. Probably his only friend. She would often visit the Wayne manor (she was the only one who did it, actually).

One afternoon, she and an officer from Gotham P.D. arrived in a police car. Lex observed from the library window as they pulled over and entered the house. He heard them being received by Bruce Wayne, who was leading them to the library. He closed the book he was reading, grabbed it and ran to hide behind some shelves.

“We found him, Bruce. The man who killed your parents.” Rachel’s voice was entering through the doors, which someone closed behind them.

Lex stood on his tiptoe to look through the tops of the books in front of him. His eyes rested on Bruce Wayne, who wasn’t even looking at his friend. He seemed distant, like he was staring at something no one else could see.

“Bruce, Detective Gordon is here to ask for your testimony at the trial.”

“Mr. Wayne, all the help you could give will be pivotal. You were there. You are the only eye witness we got.” Detective Gordon was looking at Mr. Wayne with solicitude.

Finally, Bruce Wayne got off of his lethargic state. “I already told you everything on that night, Gordon.”

“Bruce, if you don’t give your testimony, he won’t go to jail for what he did to your parents. He’ll only be prosecuted for all the other minor crimes he’s being accused of. He’ll be out in no time…”

“I wanna bury it, Rachel. I’ve seen how justice works here in Gotham. It failed me then, and now…” Mr. Wayne’s eyes met Lex’s. He stumbled backwards but managed to find balance before making any noise. “After all this time, it’s just one more ghost to haunt me. And the thing about ghosts, it’s that it’s got to be you to destroy them.” He finally looked away from him. “I can’t go to the trial.” And with that he left the library.

That night, Lex thought about what Mr. Wayne had said about ghosts. Lex’s ghosts… His mother… His father… One dead… One alive… How could he make them rest? What would quiet them? Mr. Wayne wasn’t going to do anything about his ghost, he was going to keep quiet, just like Lex did.

Maybe that was the curse of lonely boys - they had to duel with their unbearable ghosts everyday. They would live as long as they lived.

 

*

*

*

 

Bruce got the gun from his father’s office, which was just as he left it. It had been years since he entered that room. But not Alfred. He obviously had been there cleaning and brushing off the dust, keeping everything in its place.

He clang to the handle of the gun while waiting for his parents’ murderer in the main hall of the court house. And when the police officers dragged the man out, handcuffs holding his wrists together, he would take his shot. He was a good shot. His father and Alfred saw to that. Hunting a buffed criminal would be easier than hunting game.

The doors finally opened. The murderer of his parents, who worked for the mafia, who committed crimes against the people of Gotham, was standing right in from of him. The press around him. The flashes going off. And a bang. A strident noise ringing in his ears. And the murderer fell. Blood smearing the floor. A hole in his chest. People panicking. And bruce holding the gun in his pocket.

Someone, probably sent by whoever was running the mafia currently, made the shot. And Bruce froze. A sense of horror going through his body. The sound of the shot still echoing in his brain. But not the one that killed the murderer of his parents, the one that killed his parents.

He turned his back to that scene. He walked and he walked until he reached the river. With disgust, he took the gun out of the pocket of his coat and threw it in the cold, grey water.

-

He made a promise to himself that day. He would never kill. He was going to use his true aim at helping others. That’s what his parents did. They spent their lives giving and giving to the people of Gotham, and they lost everything to it. Life was only worthy if he could help other people. Apart from that, it was hollow of meaning. And right now he was incapable of anything. What did he really know of the world? Nothing. He was raised in Gotham, but his life was one of privilege. He traveled the world, but what he experienced was the life of the privileged. If he was going to do something meaningful he had to learn the hard truths. And that wasn’t going to happen where he stood.

-

He flew to Cairo. The backpack on his shoulder with some clothes was all he took with him. He left a note for Alfred and another one for Rachel saying he would be gone for a while. Indefinitely. This was something he had to do alone. He needed answers. He needed to find his strength so he could do what needed to be done. He could only hope that his journey would show him some clarity. And, maybe, he wouldn’t get himself killed.


	3. Chapter 3

Lex was now the oldest boy at the Wayne Manor. Since Bruce Wayne ran off four years ago, almost every child left the house. They lost hope or whatever Mr. Wayne symbolized to them. Only a couple of the younger ones stayed. And Lex. He had nowhere else to go. He didn’t want to go back to his old home. He wasn’t prepared to face the walls that held the worst secrets he kept.

Alfred took care of them. He was going to keep Mr. Wayne’s promise for a “better future”, one that they deserved. He often said that Mr. Wayne would come back, that it wasn’t their fault he left, that he would still want for them to have the life they deserved. The kids were disappointed, but they still believed. Lex could understand why, but he knew better. Bruce Wayne had run away from a hard truth - one that had put him in ruins.

When he visited his father in prison and told him what happened, he saw his eyes turning dark. That made Lex flinch. Slightly. He gulped and looked down at the table for an instant. Before his eyes, scenes from his childhood started flashing - his mother screaming, his dad raising his fist. But now, his hands rested on the table between them, if he tried something the guards would stop him - or so Lex hoped.

“You have to get out of that house right now.” His voice was low, controlled. Lex almost had to lean forward to listen, but he wouldn’t risk getting too close. “There’s nothing there for you anymore. Bruce Wayne abandoned you with all the other worthless kids.”

Abandonment. Lex couldn’t deny that’s what he felt back then. However, his father’s words just increased his wish to stay.

“I don’t want to go home, dad. And it’s always been Alfred who takes care of everything. This changes nothing…”

“I don’t want some manservant to raise you. That was not the deal. Bruce Wayne has let us down. Don’t you see, Jr.? This is our chance to take over Wayne Enterprises.” But Lex was just a kid, he didn’t understand nothing of that.

“What? No. I’m staying, dad.” Lex stood up. His chest rising and falling. That was the first time he confronted his father.

“Lex, sit down. Let’s be rational about this…” He’d heard him say those words before. That’s what he always did to calm the storm and make others do what he wanted. If Lex stayed there, he would end up being convinced.

“No, dad, not this time. I’ll see you next week.” And he turned his back to leave.

His father’s hands on the table had turned to trembling fists. They wouldn’t reach him this time.

When he got to the car, where Alfred was waiting for him, his cheeks were burning hot and his eyes were welling up.

“What’s the matter, Master Lex?” Alfred sounded concerned. It was obvious he was shaken by Mr. Wayne’s departure. He definitely had gotten softer with Lex.

“It’s nothing Alfred.”

“That’s a lie, Lex. Did your father want you to leave Wayne manor?” Lex turned his gaze to his lap.

“He’s going to kill me.” His voice was faint.

“He is not going to kill you, he will never harm you again.” That was a promise Alfred really couldn’t keep, Lex thought. “Now let’s go home, I’ll take care of you, Master Lex.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” Lex hugged him. They could have had their disagreements, but Alfred was the most reliable person in his life at that moment.

And so, Alfred kept the promise of taking care of him during all those years. The visits to the prison became more scarce. His father would never forgive or forget how he disobeyed him. Eventually, Lex realized he was the one in control now. Alexander Luthor Sr. couldn’t touch him.

-

His relationship with the kids that stayed at the manor became closer. There were only three left - Casey, Adrien and Lucy.

Lex would help them with school work, sometimes he even did everything by himself. They didn’t care much for school. He wondered if when the time came, they would just lead the life of a common criminal like so often happened with the abandoned orphans of Gotham. He tried to show them how important it was that they learned. That knowledge was the best weapon they could have. They would respond with a smug smile that they would rather play outside. And so they did. Lex couldn’t help but feel frustrated. How could they understand the weight he had on his shoulders? If he didn’t do everything right, his heritage would fall to the dirt. He couldn’t just waste his time trying to inspire the kids to do their own work, but he also wouldn’t let them fail their classes.

He managed to finish high school in two years and was going to the College of Metropolis in a couple of months. Regardless of that, he would still live at the Wayne Manor - Lex felt a bit of responsibility for the kids. Where Bruce Wayne had failed them, he was going to help and support them. Once he was at the helm of LexCorp he could get them a job there and take them away from Gotham City.

-

On his sixteenth birthday he bought a motorcycle. It was old and rusty and it barely worked. But Alfred had forbidden him to buy it, so one morning he went to the city alone (he got a bicycle from the basement and rode it to Gotham City).

His mother taught him how to ride a bike when he was five. His father didn’t like it. When he arrived home from work, Lex got on his bike and rode to him to surprise him.

“Get out of that thing.” He grabbed his arm, yanked him out of the seat and pushed Lex to the floor. He hit his head on the asphalt. “Bicycles are for poor boys who can’t afford nothing better. I won’t have my son riding around on one of those things waiting to be hit on the street.” He yanked him to his feet, dragged him to his room and locked the door.

How ironic - his father didn’t want him to be hit on the street so he hit him at home.

That _incident_ didn’t leave any scars on him (not physically), but it did on his mother. He learnt back then what resentment felt like, but it didn’t last long, it couldn’t. Fear, that was a constant to him that left no space for anything else.

What would he think now… A motorcycle. The most lowly of vehicles. If Lex crashed it there would go the heir of the multimillionaire company that was going to change the world, and how his father would be devastated for his loss (the company, not the son).

Lex peeked into the garage. A boy, not much older than him, waved in his direction and he entered.

“You’re the boy that called me yesterday, right? What’s your name?”

“Alexander.”

“Alex, I’m Rick. Come see the bike.” He hated when people called him that, but didn’t say anything, that guy didn’t need to know who he was.

“Okay.”

The bike had a black paint-job, and was full of scratches. And so were Ricks arms and face.

“I had a little accident. My mother is making me sell it…” Rick’s eyes looked sad and nostalgic. Lex nodded.

“I’ll take it.”

“Cool.” The kid’s eyes checked him from his head to his toes. “It just needs a bit of fixing.”

Then they settled the deal and Lex paid in cash.

“When will it be ready?”

“Maybe in a week…”

“Okay… Can I help?”

“You…?” His gaze probed him again. “Sure.”

“I know some stuff.” Lex knew all about mechanical engineering.

So in the next days Rick and him worked on the bike. The boy was really impressed with his skills, and maybe Lex showed off a little bit more than he intended at first. Rick’s dark brown skin shining with sweat, his green eyes glancing up to meet his, his mouth curling at the corners. It made Lex feel something he never did before, something he really never expected to experience. Shivers ran through his spine every time their eyes locked. And Rick always brushing against his fingers. Maybe it meant nothing. But at the end of the third day of work, Rick leaned over him, brushed a finger against his cheek to clean a spot of grease, and before he realized what was happening their lips met. Lex closed his eyes and let his lips respond to the touch

The next day when he went to the garage, Rick already had the bike ready.

Rick gave him a sideways smile and nodded to the bike. “Let’s test it.” He showed him how to ride it. Lex clutched the handlebar and felt the roar of the motor go through his body. He drove the bike to the end of the street and back to the garage.

“I think it’s working fine.”

“Maybe I’ll see you around?” Rick leaned in suggestively. But Lex had already taken everything he wanted from that boy.

“Sure.” Lex turned the bike on again and sped up away from Rick.

 

*

*

*

 

Bruce entered his house through the backdoor. The kitchen looked empty at first, until he saw Alfred’s shadow move.

“Master Bruce…” Alfred dropped the wood logs he was carrying to the floor. He used to hug him often when he was a child, the more he grew the more distant Bruce became and the hugs stopped eventually. But now, Alfred almost ran to him, and put his arms around him. Bruce dropped the bags on his hands to the floor, he couldn't stop his arms from moving to accept Alfred’s embrace. His familiarity dawn on Bruce and he felt younger than he felt in a long time.

“Are you here to stay?”

“Yes, Alfred.” Bruce could’t stop a laugh from crossing his lips. He had been away for four years but the house looked the same, except Alfred, who seemed to have gotten a bit older than he remembered.

“Are you gonna tell me where you’ve been? I looked for you all these years and all I could pick were little traces here and there, some pictures from a security cameras…”

“I will tell you everything, Alfred, I promise. But first I have to get back to the real world. I need to know all that happened in my absence.”

“I hope that means taking back what belongs to you, take it from those pestering fools who are wasting your money bargaining with criminals.”

Alfred was never one for sugarcoating. Bruce knew what needed to be done and he needed all the help he could get, and his manservant was the only person he truly trusted in Gotham City.

“The criminals will be dealt with, Alfred, mark my…” The backdoor swung open, interrupting him. A kid, a teenager, entered the kitchen. His long red hair was tousled, and he was holding a helmet. It took Bruce a second, but he finally recognized him. After all those years Lex Luthor was still living in the Manor.

“Mr. Wayne… You’re back…”

“What is that I see in your hand, Master Lex? I hope you haven’t been riding a motorcycle behind my back.”

Lex looked at Alfred like he was caught in a trap.

“Let the kid have some fun, Alfred.” Bruce placed a hand on Lex’s shoulder. “I hope you have been keeping up with your studies, Lex. I think we can mutually benefit from each other’s businesses in the future. If you…”

Lex jolted backwards and Bruce’s hand fell to his side. The kid’s eyes were filled with confusion and disdain.

“Really, Mr. Wayne? You’ve been away all this time and now all you have to say to me is that you want to partner up.” Lex wasn’t yelling, but Bruce could feel the contempt in his tone. “You promised you were gonna help me, and you just eloped without a word to me, so you can save your condescension… I’m leaving.”

“I’m sorry, Lex. But there are things you still don’t understand. I’m glad you stayed. I have a lot to teach if you are willing to listen…”

“No, Mr. Wayne. You left me… Us… Me and all the other kids here. You broke a promise and I can’t forget that. There is nothing I want you to teach me anymore.”

Lex turned his back on him and started walking towards the backdoor, with the helmet still on his hands. “Lex, come back.” But he didn’t even turn to look at him.

He did turn to look at Alfred. “Thank you, Alfred. For everything.” Then he went out the door, and from the outside came the sound of an engine roaring.

Later it dawn on Bruce what it must have felt like for Lex. Abandonment. Bruce had made him feel abandoned again, and all he truly needed was a bit of sympathy. However, Bruce had his own plans now and it was better for Lex not to be involved. He didn’t need more pain in his life. And as far as he was concerned the kid was better off without him.


	4. Chapter 4

Lex was standing in the middle of a party. A fundraiser his company was throwing to aid  kids with learning disabilities. He found this kind of events tedious - but at the same time enticing. Most of the people there were dull, pretentious and conceited, with too much money to make them feel any kind of real empathy for the less privileged. But now and then there would come someone who would catch his attention. Someone he could have some amusement with, while manipulating and taking whatever he might want from them.

Over the last seven years he had learned and perfected his behavior at the parties where his presence was mandatory. Every owner of a multimillionaire company had to throw the occasional fundraiser in support of some cause or to help their decaying cities. He was always nice and pleasant to everyone. His father always told him that “trust is a lie you have to build around you”. But he really didn’t have to lie. Everyone liked the orphan boy who pulled LexCorp from bankruptcy at the mere age of eighteen. And everyone had something to benefit from him. A substantial investment in LexCorp could lead to a massive profit in no time. And whatever LexCorp invested in would turn to gold.

So that night he smiled at the most respectable members of society, from Metropolis, Gotham and Midway City. The elder ones treated him with kindness and could sometimes be patronizing. An then there were the decadent young men and women who were in front of the companies that would, in the near future, eat up the ones still in the hands of ancient and obsolete men who were out of time. The younger ones always walked in with big smiles and expensive well suited suits or show-stopping dresses, arm-in-arm with their most recent attractive conquest. Lex had had his fair share of boys and girls he waltzed around with. But the truth was that he simply didn’t have much in common with the other playboy millionaires at those parties, even though they had the occasional business collaboration. His biggest interest was to do what he was passionate about - science - and his work in LexCorp was much more than he ever dreamed of. He had gained power and influence where before he had none. He took control over his life against what his father believed. And most importantly, he was free.

There was only one person he always showed interest in. Bruce Wayne. When he arrived at a party all eyes turned to him. Maybe to take a look at the beautiful girl hanging on his arm, maybe to see what exclusive suit he was wearing that night, or maybe just to look at his elegant but vigorous form. The truth was that everytime Bruce Wayne walked in Lex couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

Even tough they didn’t part ways in the best of manners, eventually they had come to terms with each other. When Lex turned eighteen, he decided it was time to take control of his heritage and lead LexCorp. One day, Bruce Wayne went to his office, they shake hands and talked about how their companies could benefit from each other - no resentment. Lex knew Bruce felt guilty and there was no point in reopening old wounds. Bruce seemed sincere enough when he apologized and Lex waved it away like it wasn’t a big deal. There was something appealing in that man that he couldn’t shake. Everytime they met was during official businesses or fundraisers. They traded smiles and made small talk. Lex would throw the occasional arm stroke, but if Bruce noticed the innuendos he didn’t show. That didn’t stop Lex though.

-

When he left Wayne Manor, he felt lost. He rode his motorcycle for two hours until subconsciously making the decision of going home. His home.

He arrived at an empty and cold house. Not once, in six years, did he set a foot there. The big rooms were full of furniture covered with long and thick white sheets, covered in dust. It was pitch dark and the switches didn’t seem the work. The fuses must have burned out with time.

After the first step inside, warm tears streamed down his face. He just didn’t want to be there. Lex never believed in ghosts, but he certainly felt their presence in that house, the presence of his father… and his mother. He spent the last years trying to forget her, trying to take her off his mind… How he missed her. She was the only one who had truly loved him. And he loved her. There was no one else he cared for. And she was gone and was never coming back to that house, and was never gonna smile at him, or hug him. Even when she was hurting, she was always there to be kind to him. And undoubtedly he felt like he owed her everything. If he could he would erase everything bad that had happened to her. His father didn’t belong in jail, he should have died in her place.

Lex sat on the floor, in the dark, for what seemed hours. He tried to imagine what his mother wanted for him, what would make her happy. She would probably encourage him to pursue some wild dream, maybe a sports career, or making art. Always away from his father’s ear, they would dream about what they could do if they didn’t live in fear. But now, being surrounded by silence in that godforsaken house, Lex could only see one path ahead, he had to follow his father’s footsteps. It was what was expected of him, it was too late to go back and run away. He had to stay and rebuild LexCorp in his own image. He just hoped that that would make his mom proud - take the thing that had haunted him all his life and turn it in his favor.

-

He spotted him from across the room. Bruce Wayne was talking to the Mayor. He always looked relaxed and collected. But Lex knew better. That was just a front for the pain hidden underneath - not that Lex had met the deepest, darkest version of him yet. However, getting to see this version of him always amused Lex.

He walked over to him after the Mayor left to circulate the room again. “Hey, Bruce.” He held a hand for him to shake. Bruce’s hand felt big and calloused. Lex tightened his grip for a second and then let go.

“Lex, it’s good to see you.” He said it with his usual sideways smile that didn’t really extend to his eyes.

“I see you met our Mayor. I guess it must be refreshing to meet a politician that isn’t corrupt.”

“Or maybe the people of Metropolis are just lucky to have a better breed of politicians. But don’t doubt that that man is in on some devious activities.” Lex could see that he touched on a sensible subject.

“What do you know of that?”

“Power corrupts all people… Eventually.”

“Did it corrupt you?”

“I just want to have some fun.” Bruce grinned, sipped from his champagne glass and let his gaze roam the room.

“How is Alfred?” Lex didn’t want the conversation to end there. For a long time he had been interested in that man. He just fascinated him. There was something about him he still couldn’t reach.

“He is fine, thank you for asking. He’s been busy with all the work around the house. And the orphans…” Bruce stopped and for the first time he looked into Lex’s eyes. Lex was one of the orphans that he let down, that ran away before Bruce could do something real for them.

“That is great. I hear you’ve been tutoring some young promising kids.” Lex tried to act nonchalantly about that.

“I know they’ll turn out all right and do great things.” Another sideways smile. Lex could see he was in a good mood that night.

That night, Bruce had no model at his side that might deviate his attention, so they talked for a long time. About politics, the projects they were working on and Bruce's hopes for his orphans. After three glasses of champagne, Bruce asked Lex to show him the rest of the city hall, one of the most historic places in Metropolis. It was built in the 20’s, and much of it remained unaltered since then, apart from the obvious technological integration. Lex had been in the main hall for other fundraisers, and only visited the offices above by invitation of the mayor, once or twice. When he was a kid they used to go there once a year to learn the history of the city.

He did his best to tell Bruce the most important bits. He looked mildly interested, keeping a polite expression while Lex kept jabbering about the building.

“It’s suffocating in here. Isn’t there a balcony on this floor?” Bruce loosened his bowtie and undid the top button of his shirt and his expression showed he had enough of Metropolis history for the night.

Lex led him to a corner office, where the town council used to have meetings when some significant incident had happened in the city. The big meetings table was still covered in half empty water bottles and half written drafts. He opened one of the glass doors and felt the fresh air of the night hit his face. He let Bruce get out first to the open balcony. His dark hair waving with the gentle wind. His perfume reached Lex not for the first time that night, it was something earthy but elegant. Bruce took his suit jacket off and put it over the balustrade. His shirt fitted him perfectly. Lex could see the muscles under the white fabric. He let his eyes linger there for a second before turning to see the view.

From there he could see Gotham across the river. It was misty - as most of the nights really. However that night the Bat sign wasn’t shining it the sky, probably all the criminals decided to take the night off.

“Have you ever seen him?”

“Who?”

“The Bat?”

“Do you really believe in that?”

“You don’t?.”

Bruce too a deep breath and Lex looked at the expression on his face. His eyes fixated on the city ahead like he could see something Lex couldn’t.

“Right. I’ll leave you alone.”

Lex closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, the fresh drift tousling his long hair. He finally turned to leave.

“Don’t go.” Bruce put a hand over his hair and sank his fingers in it. He looked as if he was fighting something inside himself. Lex put a hand around his neck, stretching his own to brush his lips against Bruce’s. He tightened his grip on Lex’s hair pulling him closer, slightly parting his lips biting on Lex’s lower lip. Bruce’s movements were rough, his fingers intertwined on his hair, his other hand on his back, pushing him against his chest. Lex parted his lips from Bruce’s, to catch his breath. Bruce pushed him against the balustrade and kissed him again, this time their tongues touched, Lex could feel the taste of champagne on Bruce’s mouth.

Bruce broke the kiss with a nudge on Lex’s arm. “We should go back. We shouldn’t…”

“Why not?”

Bruce turned his back to him. “It’s not right.”

“I think you’re afraid.”

“Of what?” Bruce turned again to look at him.

“That you might like me.” Lex couldn’t stop himself from speaking those words, but the truth was that he wanted Bruce to like him, to pay attention to him.

Bruce gave him a smirk. “I like you, that’s why we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“If you really liked me you would come here and kiss me again. That’s what I want.“

“And Lex Luthor always gets what he wants.”

“Almost always.”

Bruce closed the distance between them, put his hands around his face and kissed him. Lex put his hands around Bruce’s waist, feeling his warmth through the soft fabric of his shirt. Bruce pushed him until he was sitting in the balustrade. Lex didn’t even stop to think about the fact that he was sitting twenty stores above the floor with nothing holding him but Bruce’s arms.

-

They went back to the party and had a couple more champagne glasses. Lex invited him to his house. Bruce declined at first. Lex teased him by leaning to kiss his neck right in the middle of the party. Bruce put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “All right, let’s take you home.”

Bruce drove them in Lex’s car to his house. “I’m gonna call Alfred to come take me home.”

“Stay.” Lex put a hand on the back of his neck. “You’ve never been in my house.” Bruce looked over Lex’s shoulder, to the entrance of the house. “I lived in your house for years, I want to repay your kindness and hospitality.” Lex stepped out of the car and opened the front door. Reluctantly, Bruce followed him inside. The bright lights illuminated a big hall filled with art pieces, mostly from his father’s collection, others from his choosing.

“You could have stayed.”

“No, I couldn’t, you didn’t want me there. I know when I’m not wanted.” Lex could see he was uncomfortable being there. He could leave the tour of the house for another time. That wasn’t the reason he brought him there for.

Bruce leaned in to kiss his jawline. “I want you now.” He kept planting kisses on his neck, his stubble scratching at his skin. Lex clung to the front of Bruce’s coat. Bruce pushed him against the wall behind him and started to undo the buttons on his shirt. Lex’s fingers slid through the inside of Bruce’s coat throwing it over to the floor. Bruce ran his fingers down Lex’s chest. Lex twitched for a second with that touch. The truth was that he didn’t like to get touched. Feeling Bruce’s touching him like that sent thrills through his skin. Lex swallowed hard and took a deep breath to concentrate. He wanted this - always did. Bruce was there and he could do whatever he wanted to him.

Responding to Lex’s reaction Bruce’s fingers came to a halt. He ran his thumb across Lex’s lips and he closed his eyes. At that moment he felt control slip his mind. He was under Bruce’s will. He kissed him, their tongues brushing against each other. Taken by the moment, Lex drove Bruce’s hands back to his naked skin.

Any intimate moment he spent with anyone in the past was nothing compared to this. Lex never let anyone too close. But with Bruce… His delicate roughness drew Lex in and all he wanted was to get a better glimpse at that man who transpired charm and mystery.

“Come on.” Lex grabbed Bruce’s sleeve and led him to his room. Bruce threw him over to the bed and laid on top of him planting kisses on his chest, getting down to his stomach. Lex steadied his breath and grasped Bruce’s shoulders. Bruce made his way back to Lex’s mouth biting his bottom lip. He loosened Bruce’s bowtie and stumbled to undo the buttons of his shirt. Bruce took off his vest and his shirt. Lex ran his hands over Bruce’s defined muscles taking in their shape and stiffness. The heat from his skin pierced his fingertips. Every touch from Bruce burned in waves through his body. He carved his fingernails on Bruce’s back. Bruce pushed Lex’s thighs around his waist while biting the curvature of his neck.

-

In the morning he was already gone when Lex woke up. He grabbed the pillow next to him. It still smelled like Bruce.

 

*

*

*

 

Bruce woke up when it was still dark. He looked to his right and he was still there. Lex Luthor was asleep on his bed. Bruce turned to face him and removed a lock of red hair from in front of his closed eyes. He was the last person he would ever think of sleeping with but there he was. He saw in Lex another permanently damaged soul like his own. No matter how much he tried to run away from it, he just couldn’t avoid getting pulled back to Lex’s orbit.

Bruce let his hand rest on Lex’s chest and closed his eyes again. Maybe this time he could have a dreamless sleep.

“How did you made these?” Lex was tracing a scar on his chest with a cold finger. Instinctively, Bruce grabbed Lex’s hand off his chest.

“Mountain climbing.” He lied. No one could know the truth. It was just a common lie he would tell to anyone who asked him about his scars. Everyone seemed impressed by his adventurous side. Little did they know that the scars he bore were made by the criminals who infested the streets of Gotham. If anyone found out he was the Batman his mission would have been for nothing.

In the deem light that started to enter through the windows, Bruce could see Lex didn’t buy his lie. He was too smart, too smart for his own good. But Bruce wouldn’t involve him in his secret, he wouldn’t risk it. And not to mention that Lex would probably not approve and expose him to his own benefit. The truth was that Bruce only trusted him as far as he could throw him.

Bruce involved Lex’s thin body with his arms and kissed him putting a stop to that subject. Lex scratched his back with his fingers. At first, Bruce avoided being gentle with him. He didn’t want it to become a regular thing, he didn’t want him to get attached, but he couldn’t avoid it. The way Lex’s body responded to his touch was almost intoxicating. Bruce could feel how starved for touch Lex was. At first, Lex would cling violently to his neck and kiss him hungrily, and Bruce couldn’t stop from responding similarly. He didn’t want for their encounters to continue, but everytime they went to the same party or to the same fundraiser, Lex would always find him, and Bruce couldn’t resist. And then after a couple of months of this, Lex would schedule a meeting at his house or would knock on Bruce’s door with the excuse of visiting Alfred, whom completely disagreed with whatever their relationship was. In his words “It just isn’t healthy”.

There were times when Bruce would caught himself thinking about Lex’s soft skin under his fingertips and craving it. That night Lex seemed to have read his thoughts. He came to his office with the pretext of celebrating their new business partnership. There was a storm brewing on Gotham at the time between Penguin and Falcone, but that could wait one night.

Lex forced him to roll over so he could be on top of him. Bruce let him. Feeling his weight on top of him was kind of comforting. Lex always attacked his mouth greedily. Bruce entwined his fingers on Lex’s hair. How he loved that hair. Bruce secretly wished that he never cut it. Lex slowed the movement of his tongue, their breaths mixed together. Lex’s soft lips traveled to his neck, his hands roamed his chest and stomach. Bruce laid his hands on Lex’s waist, he was so skinny, felt like holding a feather.

In the first night they spent together Bruce was almost afraid to break him. Lex was definitely reluctant, squeamish at every touch. Until Bruce took him and he finally let go. Every movement in synch. Lex’s vulnerability set Bruce to eventually become kinder to him, even when he was being a sarcastic brat, there was a certain charm on the way he threw himself at Bruce, the sideways smile, his eyes checking him out, his softer tone of voice. Bruce was always looking for to kissing his lips, so he would stop jabbering and finally take a breath.

Now, Lex clang to him, and everytime they were together he would avidly trace every millimeter of his body, and Bruce couldn’t get enough of his smooth skin, the way his hair smelled, the taste of his mouth.

-

Bruce watched as Lex stood up, his naked back to him. He grabbed his clothes and got dressed.

“I hope to see you at my labs one of these days.”

“I’ll be there.”

Lex leaned in to kiss him, his hair falling around his face. Bruce watched him go, closed his eyes and let his mind wander to what was expecting him that day. The Batman was going out that night and he had to be ready.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any English mistakes.  
> You can find me on Tumblr: peaceonme.tumblr.com  
> Hope you enjoy reading!

Lex walked into the lab with Mercy. His assistant always stayed a step ahead. Physically. Because when it came to read his mind, what he wanted, what he needed, she was on pair with him. She had been with him for three years now and she never failed him. Mercy understood Lex, what he stood for, what he aspired to be.

A savior of humanity.

That was his purpose. To make the world a better place. That’s what he turned LexCorp into. A corporation that looked to make the world a better place. Environment, education, protection. All in the best interests of the people of Metropolis. And the world. LexCorp had no problem with profit. Lex could sell his technology for millions with never shaking the image of philanthropist he had built.

And Mercy understood that. She lost everything in the past, just like him. Her parents died in a car crash and she lived all her life in an orphanage in Metropolis - until she turned eighteen and had to make a living for herself. She was the smartest person Lex had ever encountered. Nothing to lose and too smart for her own good, she was the only person Lex truly trusted.

-

The history expert was standing with a file on his hand. Lex shook his hand.

“Mr. Luthor, it’s an honor. Your contribution to the Metropolis Museum of History has been well cherished by all.”

“By all means, history is a vital part for the understanding of human nature. It’s my pleasure to salvage every bit of it and bring it to the citizens of this city.”

“Well, then you will cherish this relic I’ve found on my latest field trip to France.” Dr. Spencer spread the file on a table and opened it.

Lex stepped closer to look at the photograph in front of him. A black and white World War I picture depicting various soldiers in a battlefield, and in the middle of them… A woman in striking armor, uncanny for that time period.

“Who is she?”

“It was a legend at the time. People called her Wonder Woman. There’s not much written about her, but the myth persists. She helped save thousands of people at the end of the war.”

Lex looked mesmerized at the picture. He wasn’t a stranger to the tales of Wonder Woman, most of them traced back to World War I, but there were others since then, mostly tell-tale stories with no real evidence.

“Can I keep it? I was thinking I could study it, see what I could find.”

“Of course, Mr. Luthor. After your funding and help, it’s the least I could offer you. Consider this a gift.”

“Thank you, Dr. Spencer. I promise I will find more about this picture.” They shook hands again and the man left.

Lex held the pictures on his hands. He was keen on finding more about that woman. He had a research team whose purpose was to study strange events in history. And with the rise of the Batman there were other stories - urban myths at best - which described the existence of exceptional beings people called heroes. There wasn’t much Lex knew yet. But he had made the executive decision of studying the Meta-Human theory. He believed the future might reside there. The more he discovered about them the bigger control he could have over any situation that could come from them. After all, he believed that knowledge was power and he was committed to acquire all the knowledge he could muster.

-

The Batman was a constant presence in the news. Lex followed his actions closely. There was never a shortage of criminals on Gotham for the Bat to fight. Lex hacked the city public cameras to study every appearance of the Bat. His car - Bat-Mobile the news called it… - the weapons he used, the technology… Lex had never seen anything like that before. Whoever he was he must have had infinite resources and all his devices were definitely not marketed anywhere in the world.

This vigilante figure obviously had money, resources, and no fear. The closer he looked at the evidences the more certain he was.

The Batman was Bruce Wayne.

Time and time again he traced his scars with the tips of his fingers. New ones would appear now and then. And Bruce always had an excuse. Mountain climbing, motocross, ski… Lies. But Lex could see right through him. There was something behind his eyes - some sort of grief, of disturbed impatience. Bruce’s facade ended up being deeper than Lex ever thought. Business trips, holidays abroad… All false pretexts to hide the truth.

All those years Lex had been sleeping with Bruce… who was the Gotham vigilante. Bruce had no idea he knew - and he wasn’t gonna tell him that he knew. Bruce would probably push him away - or blackmail him so he wouldn’t talk. If people found out Bruce Wayne was the Batman he would end up in jail, or worse, killed by the maniacs who ruled the streets of Gotham. And Lex didn’t want that. Their relationship - even if rather tempestuous now and then - was all that held Lex to the ground at times. He had learned to appreciate Bruce’s presence in his life and he wasn’t letting him go now.

Bruce had ditched the flock of models and actors he always walked around with and went to parties with. Somehow he had latched on to Lex. He wouldn’t call what they had a romantic relationship, they could spend weeks without even talking. But eventually, one of them would show up.

Bruce and Lex disagreed on many things. Years ago, when Bruce came back, Wayne Enterprises had ceased all military contracts, and for that reason their companies had crashed. International and national security were some of the main concerns at LexCorp. With Wayne Enterprises out, that burden befell solely on Lex. Bruce wouldn’t sell him the technology he needed which had been the source of a frustrating quarrel between them. But after the appearance of the Bat, Lex had understood that whatever Bruce was hiding from him he was using to fight Gotham’s criminals. They had eventually settled in agreeing to disagreeing on how they ran their respective company.

-

One night, Lex drove his white Rolls to the Manor. Alfred answered the door.

“Ah, Alfred. How are you? You look younger than last time I saw you.”

“I doubt it Master Lex. I hope everything’s all right?”

“It is, thank you. I’m just checking in on Bruce.”

“Come on in.”

Lex trespassed the door to the main hall. It was just as he always remembered since he lived there. A movement caught his eyes. A kid was staring at him. Jason Todd, one of Bruce’s new proteges. Lex was almost convinced he was the Bat’s sidekick, Robin. Bruce was particularly fond of that orphan, but seemed to have no quarrel to have him killed on his vigilante undertakings. Jason walked over to the kitchen without a word.

“I’ll warn, Master Bruce you’re here…”

“It’s not necessary, Alfred. I know the way.”

Lex walked up the stairs to Bruce’s room without waiting for an answer. He knocked but there was no reply. He opened the door and saw Bruce sitting on his desk, reading the news online on his laptop. He only had sweatpants on, his torso naked with the skin marks glistening in the dim light.

“Bruce, sorry to barge in, you didn’t answer…”

“What are you doing here, Lex?”

“What do you think? I came to see you.”

Lex threw his coat over a chair and paced around the room. The walls were almost empty, apart from some family pictures. The Waynes smiling in their innocence not knowing what laid ahead. Bruce as a kid, with an easy smile on his face, hugging his beautiful mother, with his father looking proudly at them.

“Lex… Lex…” With a shudder Lex woke from his stupor and looked over to him.

“You shouldn’t be here. I’m busy.”

“I didn’t know Bruce Wayne was keen on reading the news. And anyway, that hardly constitutes as ‘being busy’.”

“You don’t understand…”

“Then explain.” Lex was forcing that subject, which kind of amused him. Normally he would let it slide, but now that he knew the truth he wondered how far the lies would go.

Bruce closed the laptop and sighed. Lex walked over to him and put his hands on his shoulders. He put his lips on Bruce’s ear level. “Want to know a secret?”

“What?” Bruce exhaled exasperatedly.

“Have you ever heard about Wonder Woman?”

“That’s just a urban myth.” _Like the Bat_ , Lex thought.

“I’ve found her.”

“I have no interest in that.” Bruce stood up almost knocking Lex over.

“You know, maybe she’s friends with the Bat…” Bruce grabbed him by his hair and kissed him. It was a common move from Bruce. Lex couldn’t shut up so he did it for him. Lex always got what he wanted.

Lex moved his lips against Bruce’s, the warmth of his mouth spreading through his nerves, his hands sweeping Bruce’s chest like claws grasping at their victims. Bruce pulled his blazer off of his shoulders and opened the buttons of his shirt. His mouth moved to Lex’s neck, his lips sliding down his chest. Lex dug his fingers in Bruce’s hair. Having him like that, kneeling in front of him, his mouth all over his skin, made Lex forget everything else. It always happened like that with Bruce. He always let himself go.

Bruce was quick to give him what he wanted when he wasn’t in the mood. Lex sat on the bed and Bruce pushed him back. He could never resist. Lex could see that on his eyes, he tried to fight it. Every. Time. But Lex always lured him in.

“Are you mine?” Bruce whispered in his ear.

Lex carved his nails on Bruce’s back, adding a few marks to his collection. How he wanted to leave his mark on him, one that would never wash away. “Only if you tell me how much you want me.”

“I want to make you scream.” Lex felt is skin on fire.

“I only wanna be yours.”

They would never repeat those words in the light of day. Lex had wanted to take things more seriously. But that was an illusion. The great Bruce Wayne was never going to settle, and Lex was aware that he would never have a stable relationship with anyone. “This is my boyfriend” was as a ridiculous statement as anything Lex could think of.

Bruce thrusted against him. Lex closed his eyes and leaned his head back over against the bed, his sweaty hair clinging to is forehead, Bruce holding his wrists against the sheets rendering his hands limp in his grasp. He was in total control. He could break him, Lex wanted Bruce to break him. Only when he was under him did he feel something, only then he felt real. He put his legs around Bruce’s hips.

In that moment he decided he wasn't going to confront Bruce about the Bat. There would be a time to sacrifice that secret, but it wasn’t still time to sacrifice what he had with Bruce.

-

Lex had learned how to deal with his father. The monthly prison visits had become something of a strenuous duty.

Lex Luthor Sr. had been beyond outraged when Lex told him he was cutting petrochemical exploration from LexCorp six years ago. Lex could still feel his hands around his neck, knocking him to the ground. The guards were quick to intervene, and Lex was more prideful than he was as a kid. He stood up to his feet and confronted him before he was taken to solitary.

“That’s right, father. LexCorp is mine now and I’ll do with it whatever I want while you rot here forever.”

It had been at least three years before he went to visit him again. Letters with desperate calls were abundant during that time, until Lex decided to end his misery and started visiting him again. He had showed him how the company was growing now that he was in charge. Numbers and graphics had changed Lex Sr.’s opinion - he even said he always knew Lex could do it, that he really was his son. Prison had been hard on him. He had grown a thick grayish beard and his hair fell messily around his shoulders with white strikes. Deep wrinkles surrounded his eyes, filled his forehead and drew around his lips.

“Lex, how good to see you, son.”

“How are you today, father?”

His father always hated that question, Lex could see in the way he pressed his lips together before answering.

“Just fine. How is the company?” He never asked how Lex was, or what was going on with him, not that he cared to answer - after all that man never cared for him.

Lex explained to him how the business was booming, how it kept growing, what he was investing in.

“And who is LexCorp’s main partnership right now?”

Lex had been hiding that part of the deal from his father. He never had a positive opinion on the Wayne’s. During his time in front of LexCorp, Thomas Wayne always stole the spotlight, was always the one with more money and influence, and the one with better investments.

“Wayne Enterprises.” Lex looked him straight in the eye, waiting for his reaction. As expected, rage was building in his tense jaw.

“You have to shut that off immediately. We don’t need them. We are better than them.”

“There is no ‘we’.”

“What?”

“The is no ‘we’. It’s just me now. You’re closed here for the rest of your life. It’s my company and I do with it what I want. And let me just say it’s better than it ever was in your hands.”

“You don’t think you can get rid of me that easily, do you?” His tone was low and piercing, he wasn’t going make a scene again. He had learnt his lesson during his time in solitary. “ I made you who you are, Jr.. If you want to keep the company afloat you will have to listen to me, or else…”

“Or else what? You have me killed? You’ve made that treat quite clear.”

“Don’t underestimate me. I have connections on the inside who can get to you.”

Lex could see in his father’s eyes he wasn’t lying. It was a real threat.

“You will start doing what I tell you to do. You thought you were off the hook? I know a guy… I made him some promises you see… He’s going to be free soon and he is looking for an easy job.”

Lex caught his fidgeting hands in his lap to hide them away. Those threats were all too familiar. He could still feel the back of his father’s hand hitting his face when he was a child, his screams putting him down.

“It’s just a matter of time and I’ll be out of here. And someone has to put LexCorp back on track.”

Lex stood up. Words escaping from his grasp, his lungs gasping for hair.

“You can’t do anything… You’re lying…” Lex pointed a shaking finger in his father’s direction. Dread filled his veins, clouded his vision. He stumbled backwards and the chair fell with a   heavy bang. The guards’ attention was on them.

His father stood up, determination in his gaze. “You can’t hide, Jr.. Your days are over. Don’t forget. I’m the one who owns you.”

-

He sped up between the cars making their way through the bridge. He barely saw what was in front of him. Gotham City’s lights were shining distantly on his vision.

Lex almost knocked against a car that braked suddenly. He swerved to the right in time, almost crashing his motorcycle to the ground. He ignored the horns around him and kept going.

The cold rain of the night hit him while he made his way across the dark streets of Gotham. He made his way to Bruce’s penthouse, where he had tracked him through his phone. He parked right in front of the main door. The valet looked at his dripping clothes with disapprovement but still let him in - he knew who he was and he already been there before.

When the elevator doors opened he spotted Bruce right away, his silhouette visible against the view of the city. The apartment was almost in complete darkness.

“Lex… What are you doing here?”

Lex sank to the floor against the glass window, sharp breaths coming from his chest, the accumulated adrenaline finally wearing off. Bruce knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Lex jerked it away.

Bruce stood up again. “What happened?”

But Lex couldn’t find words to speak.

Tears streamed down his face.

“My… My father… He…”

Lex looked up at Bruce, his dark eyes darting downwards to him, expecting an explanation for this invasion, tension and confusion creaking his forehead. He grabbed him by the wrist and pushed him to his feet.

“What did he do?” A wave of rage trespassed through his face.

“He said he was…” His voice was shaking as much as his hands by his side. “He was going to kill me… He found a man… A hitman… He said he was going to send him for me… And he said he’s going to get out of there… And…”

Bruce stared into his eyes. Lex was feeling pure fear. No. Pure panic.

“I won’t let him lay a hand on you. I’ll do whatever I can to stop him.”

“You can’t…” And then he remembered who he was - the Bat. Was Bruce Wayne going to break the Bat’s rule for him?

“He is done tormenting you.” Bruce paused. ”I know someone who can help. Someone who can make sure he stays in Arkham Asylum for the rest of his life.”

That was a compelling offer. But didn’t seem enough.

In his vulnerability, Lex made a decision. He was going to kill his father himself. He didn’t need Bruce or the Bat. Only himself could get rid of that demon from his life. When he was a kid he had been powerless, and after so many years he still fell under his father’s threats just a like a scared little kid. His words stung him and touched the most susceptible parts of his mind. That fear would only go away if he confronted it alone.

Lex cut Bruce’s words planting his lips on his. The resolution on his mind taking hold.

Panic overwhelmed Lex’s nervous system since he left the prison - but in the dim light he didn’t want to cut loose from that moment. Bruce’s offer lingering in his brain. His arms around him, pressing him against the window. While he kissed his neck, Lex turned his head to look at street above. The lights of the city burning in his eyes.

 

*

*

*

 

Bruce wrapped a towel around his waist as he left the shower. On the TV in his room the news were running, buzzing on the back of his mind. A name urged his attention. Luthor.

He turned to see what had happened.

Alexander Luthor Sr. was dead.

The news anchor was talking as if a great man had died instead of a murderer. People didn’t understand, they never did and they would never do, what that man truly was.

Bruce tried to call Lex but he didn’t answer. Bruce thought about what he might be feeling. Relief? Anger? Grief? And then a thought went through his head, what if… But he wouldn’t…

Bruce had promised to take care of the matter, to take his father to Arkham Asylum where he could keep an eye on him.

Lex hadn’t exactly said he’d agreed. Bruce saw resolution in his eyes when he kissed him. But then he got lost on Lex’s skin under his fingers and everything else flew his mind.

Bruce got dressed and left the apartment. He drove as fast as the busy streets of Gotham allowed him at that hour. When he arrived at Lex’s house instant regret swept over him. Journalists flooded the entrance to the house. They would want to know what he was doing there. And what exactly was he doing there? To confront Lex about wether he did it or not? To comfort him? He just didn’t know what was exactly his role there.

The flashes caught him off guard. Photographers and reporters surrounded his car. Loud questions were thrown at him but the words were mostly lost with the noise of the motor.

“What’s the nature of your relationship with Mr. Luthor?”

“Do you wish to make an official statement?”

“What do you know about the death of Alexander Luthor?”

All questions with no answer.

Bruce finally stopped the car. He forced his way through the journalists and ran to the back of the house. The backdoor was locked so he had to push it open with his shoulder. The interior of the kitchen was dark when he closed the door behind him. The house was eerily quiet. Maybe Lex wasn’t there. Bruce walked in the dark. The TV on the main living room was turned on, the news anchor speaking silent words for no one.

He made his way to the third floor. Lex’s bedroom door was ajar, a flickering light spreading across the floor of the corridor. Bruce opened it and entered the familiar room with it’s minimalistic decoration and several monitors on a wall, all displaying the same news anchor’ muted words.

Bruce opened the door to the bathroom. Lex was standing naked in the shower with the forehead and a hand leaning against the tiles on the wall, water dripping around him. He didn’t move, if he noticed Bruce was there he didn’t say a word.

“Lex.” He slightly lifted his head but didn’t turn. Bruce opened the glass door. Cold water damped his shirt. He grabbed Lex’s arm to take him out of there and he yanked it off his hand startled by the touch, his eyes surrounded by dark circles.

“Lex, what happened?”

“He is dead.” Lex stepped out of the shower, passing Bruce, water drops falling on the floor. 

“I know, that’s why I came.”

“After all I didn’t need your help.” Lex did a little mock up head bow towards him. “A prison riot was enough.”

A prison riot. Bruce didn’t say anything, the idea of Lex being the one who did it still lingered at the back of his mind. Was he lying on purpose, to see if Bruce would bite? He felt anger fill his veins for a second. His eyes laid on the sight of a broken man. Lex sat on the floor, emotionless.

Bruce knelt in front of him. He held out a hand to caress his face, to try to comfort him. Lex jerked away again from his touch and stood up.

“You should go.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“My father was murdered in prison… Maybe it’s better this way. No one deserves to rot in Arkham Asylum anyway.”

“I was going to keep him safe… And you.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s dead and I’m… An orphan… Just like you.” Lex threw him a sarcastic smile, more like a grimace.

“Things will get better.” Bruce couldn’t count the times he had heard those same words and how meaningless they were,

“No, they don’t. You can pretend all you want, but you are still as any bit broken as I am.” Lex sticked an accusatory finger on Bruce’s chest.

Lex was starting to tremble with the cold. Bruce touched the skin on his arm, and it was freezing.

“If you don’t have anymore insightful advices you should leave.” Lex’s voice was shaking but determined.

“You can’t be alone right now.”

“Why not? I’ve always been alone.”

Bruce grabbed a towel from the hanger and extended it to Lex. “You’re freezing.”

Lex took the towel from his hand with a harsh movement. Bruce sighed and looked away. He should probably go. He remembered the young boy crying after his mother had died. Bruce saw nothing of that grief on Lex’s face. His father was nothing to him anymore. Just a bad memory that he sometimes visited at prison. But Bruce was familiar with the feeling of complete loneliness that came with the loss of one’s parents.

Bruce walked over to him while he was drying his hair with the towel with his back to him. He kissed his naked shoulder while enthralling his hand on his wet hair. Lex froze where he stood. Bruce kissed the crook of his neck, his jawline. He heard Lex breathing heavily. Shaking. He dropped the towel to the floor. Bruce slid a hand across Lex’s chest. “You’re free now.”

Lex shivered in his hands and turned to him, resolve in his eyes.

“Two orphans fucking each other, how poetic, don’t you think?”

Bruce was used to Lex’s vicious comments. He always drove kindness away.

Bruce had a sudden urge to escape from there, but the moment Lex’s lips touched his, that feeling dissolved away.

It was time for whatever they had to end. Lex knew how to play him like a fiddle. They indulged each other. When Bruce stayed away, Lex would find his way back to him, and vice versa.

Bruce let Lex took his shirt off, feeling his cold skin against his chest.

Bruce was going to put an end to it. But not that night.


End file.
